Viewtopia 10/13/09: Top 5 DVDs of the Week (With Video!)

It's a good week for Matt Groening followers, as a new 19 (yes, 19) disk set of Futurama hits stores in time for Halloween gifting. For those who prefer thrills to laughs on the 31st, there's a new, uncut version of the 1990 classic Hardware while 2009's Drag Me to Hell makes a timely DVD debut.

Futurama: The Complete Collection 19-Disc Set (2009)

Futurama, creator Matt Groening's spiritual-successor to The Simpsons has had a tumultuous history and is poised for a rebirth. Running sporadically on FOX for four seasons between 1999 and 2002 before the network finally pulled the plug, Futurama eventually found new life through syndication, first on Cartoon Network, then finally Comedy Central which also produced four original direct-to-DVD titles. The fourth and final film, Into the Wild Green Yonder acted as a series finale, but a loyal and vocal fan base led to a stay of execution. This summer, Comedy Central announced that it has ordered 26 new Futurama episodes. They will feature the original cast, and are set to begin airing June 2010. This whopping 19 disc set includes all four existing seasons of Futurama, with original extras, as well as the four films: Bender's Big Score, The Beast With A Billion Backs, Bender's Game and Into the Wild Green Yonder, packaged in a replica Bender Head.

* "A Brief History of Deathball"
%" valign="top" style="padding:2px;">Bender's Game

* Audio commentary

* Storyboard animatic

* "Futurama Genetics Lab"

* "D & D & F (Dungeons & Dragons & Futurama)"

* "How to Draw Futurama in 83 Easy Steps"

* Deleted scene

* "Blooperama 2: Outtakes from Bender's Game"

* "Bender's Anti-Piracy Warning"Into the Wild Green Yonder

* Audio commentary

* Storyboard animatic

* "Docudramarama: How We Make Futurama So Good"

* "Louder, Louder!: The Acting Technique of Penn Jillette"

* "Golden Stinkers: A Treasury of Deleted Scenes"

* "Matt Groening and David X. Cohen in Space!"

* "How to Draw Futurama in 10 Very Difficult Steps"

* "Bender's Movie Theater Etiquette"

* "Zapp Brannigan's Guide to Making Love to a Woman"

Land of the Lost (2009)

Sid and Marty Krofft's original Land of the Lost was a bold and brainy 1970's Saturday morning Sci-Fi show, despite its tiny budget,. With stories by talented writers, including Star Trek alum David Gerrold, Larry Niven and Ben Bova, it was smarter than it deserved to be. Unfortunately, rather than maintain the well-established science fiction pedigree of the show, the Kroffts decided to spoof their own creation. In the new film re-make of Land of the Lost, Will Ferrell stars as Rick Marshall, a disgraced quantum paleontologist who sets out to prove his time warp theory with the help of his research assistant Holly (Anna Friel) and Will (Danny McBride), the owner/operator of a run-down amusement park where strange evidence has been found.

Extras include:

* Commentary with Director Brad Silberling

* "A Day In The Life Of Big-Time Movie Star Danny McBride"

* "Devil's Canyon Gift Shop Commercial And Tour"

* Deleted scenes

Hardware Two-Disc Limited Edition (1990)

Director Richard Stanley's life is a tale of uncompromising mad genius and missed opportunities, which could be why most people have never heard of him. Stanley made a name for himself with the low-budget, high-concept techno-horror masterpiece Hardware, which many compared to Alien. He followed this up with the equally terrifying Dust Devil and was on the verge of mainstream success with The Island of Dr. Moreau, but Stanley was replaced as director by John Frankenheimer and the movie went on to win the 1996 Razzie for Worst Picture of the year. Stanley dodged two more bullets when he passed on Judge Dredd and Spiceworld, choosing instead to work on independent projects. Hardware, about a scrapped military robot wreaking havoc in a futuristic apartment complex, is available uncut on DVD for the first time.

Extras include:

* Commentary with Director Richard Stanley

* "No Flesh Shall Be Spared" documentary

* "Incidents In An Expanding Universe" Super 8 film

* "The Sea of Perdition" 2006 Short Film

* "Rites of Passage" Early Short Film

* "Richard Stanley on Hardware 2"

* Original theatrical trailer

* Deleted & extended scenes

* Behind-the-Scenes footage

The Mighty Boosh: Special Edition Seven-Disc Box Set (2009)

The Mighty Boosh, (or The Boosh, if you prefer) is a cult comedy troupe out of England comprised of Julian Barratt, Noel Fielding and Rich Fulcher. The Boosh's brand of controlled chaos began as a live performances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival prior to spilling over into BBC radio and TV. The three seasons of the show follow the psychedelic misadventures of Howard Moon (Barratt) and Vince Noir (Fielding): first as zookeepers with Bob Fossil (Fulcher) and Naboo the Enigma (Noel's brother, Michael Fielding) working at Dixon Bainbridge's (Matt Berry) dilapidated Zooniverse; next, Howard, Vince, Naboo and Bollo the Ape are flat-mates in Dalston, England; and finally Naboo opens the Nabootique, staffed by Howard and Vince. This Special Edition seven-disc set contains seasons one through three, complete with original extras, plus stickers, postcards and more.

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Popular Mechanics participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.